Health insurance companies are required by law to provide the same coverage for adopted children that they do for biological children. The date your child is placed with you for adoption, therefore, is the same as a biological child's birth date for insurance purposes. After that date, you only have a brief period of time – typically between 30 and 60 days – to add your adopted child to your insurance policy if you want coverage to start from the first day the child joined your family.[1][2]

Steps

Part 1

Notifying Your Group Administrator

1

Review your policy to confirm eligibility. If you already have a family plan, you can add your adopted child. However, if you have an individual plan, you'll need to upgrade to a family plan before you can add your adopted child.[3]

Health insurance companies have additional deadlines for changing your plan so that you can add a child. If you need to change your coverage type, this must be done well in advance of the date you plan to add the child.

Typically you must change your coverage type at least 30 days before you add the child. However, some groups require 60 days notice.

2

Check the notice requirements. With the adoption of a child, you can add that child to your policy through a special enrollment period – meaning you don't have to wait until the next open enrollment period to add your child. However, you typically must do so within 30 days of the date of adoption or placement of adoption.[4][5]

If you have to change your coverage type, you need to figure out how that deadline works with the deadline for the special enrollment period.

For example, suppose you need to change your coverage from an individual plan to a family plan, and you want your adopted child to be covered from the date of adoption. You must change your plan 30 days before the date the child is placed with you. After that date, you'll have 30 days to add the child to your policy.

If you waited until the date of placement to change your plan, you would miss the special enrollment period deadline to add your child to your policy and have the child covered from the date of adoption.

Some heath insurance companies use the date any other coverage expired if that date is later than the date of adoption.

For example, if you adopted your child through the state, and the child had health coverage through a government program for a period of time, you can wait until the expiration of that coverage and still use a special enrollment period.

3

Speak with your employer or group administrator. You must notify your insurance company that you wish to add your newly adopted child. If your insurance is through your employer, you typically can get the assistance of someone in your human resources department.[6][7][8]

Since deadlines and requirements vary among insurance providers, it's important to speak with someone who handles your insurance policy as soon as possible.

If you purchased your policy yourself, you'll need to work with the insurance company directly. Call the general customer service number and follow the prompts to speak with an agent.

4

Provide documentation of the adoption. Your employer or group administrator will let you know what information is required to prove that you are now the child's legal parent. The type of documentation you need may depend on the age of the child and other factors.[9][10]

If you adopted the child from birth, typically all you'll need to show your employer or group administrator is a copy of the birth certificate.

If the child is older, you must provide legal adoption documents, such as the adoption order entered by the court.

Part 2

Updating Your Policy

1

Complete the required forms. Your health insurance company will have forms you need to fill out to add your adopted child to your insurance policy. Typically you'll need to provide the same kinds of information about the child as you did for yourself when you applied for the policy.[11][12]

In addition to an enrollment or change form, you also must submit a dependent verification, evidence of the adoption, and information about the premium you've been paying.

Your insurance company will determine how much you owe based on the premium you paid and the difference between that premium and your new premium with the child added.

2

Submit your forms to your insurance provider. Once you've filled out your forms, you'll need to submit them before the deadline expires on the special enrollment period. If you delay, you'll have to wait until the next open enrollment period to add your adopted child.[13]

The deadlines for submitting your form differ among insurance providers, so you should check with your employer or group administrator when you get the forms to find out how long you have to submit them.

In some cases you may have up to a year after the date of adoption to submit your forms and have the child added to your policy. However, there are shorter deadlines if you want the child's coverage to begin on the date of adoption.

3

Follow up to confirm enrollment of your child. After you've submitted your forms, your insurance company should send you information and an insurance card for your child. If you don't receive an insurance card within a few weeks, contact your employer or group administrator to find out if there's anything else you need to do.[14]

Keep in mind that if you applied for coverage to start on an earlier date than the date you applied, you'll have to pay the difference in premiums up to the current date before the change will be effective.

For example, if your child was placed in your care on August 1 and you submitted the forms to add that child to your health insurance on October 30, you would have to pay the difference in premiums for two months so the child's coverage would relate back to the date of adoption.